Pressure isn’t a particularly welcome topic of conversation, nor it seems much of an issue, for Chvrches. Lauren Mayberry, while talking with Corin Tucker of Sleater Kinney for Interview, said that she might “explode” at the next question about it. Duly, when delving into ‘Every Open Eye’, the follow up to the synth-pop trio’s massive debut, ‘The Bones of What You Believe’, it’s not the first word that springs to mind.
Chvrches’ second spin around the block is confident, slick and meticulous, but it’s also a thrilling update of the sound that made their name. It has sharper edges, while its percussive heft far outweighs what came before it. Crafted in the same surroundings, their Glasgow studio, it represents not a change in tactics, but precise execution and a natural progression.
The album’s scouting party - the singles Leave A Trace, Never Ending Circles and Clearest Blue - gave away plenty of clues as to where it would end up, but its subtle shifts and canny pacing mean that they only told part of the story.
For every dip into dancefloor-friendly synths, perhaps best illustrated by Clearest Blue’s Depeche Mode-indebted hook, there’s a pensive counterpoint, like the album’s bare-bones closer, Afterglow.
Throughout, the hooks are massive. Chvrches don’t have pop’s cadre of hitmakers on speed dial and ‘Every Open Eye’ backs up their decision to keep things in-house at every turn.
Make Them Gold is a skyscraper of a song, Empty Threat every inch the uplifting montage soundtrack. Martin Doherty’s trip to the mic, meanwhile, results in the infectious rolling funk of High Enough To Carry You Over.
Mayberry is focused on the balance of past and future throughout. Her lyrics are positive yet barbed, acknowledging lows and shaping them into defiant sign-offs or glinting silver linings. Given the manner in which she has taken on the the social media troll horde and her commitment to the aspirational element of the DIY ethos, it’s a powerful combination.
“You talk far too much, for someone so unkind,” Mayberry sings on Leave A Trace, moments after delivering Never Ending Circles’ propulsive message: “Here’s to running off the pain...here’s to never ending circles, and building them on top of me.”
Despite its relatively humble beginnings, ‘Every Open Eye’ is one of the year’s big albums. Chvrches don’t so much take the expectation in their stride as carry the banner, delivering a record that has an answer to every question posed to it.
Chvrches Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon November 16 2015 - BRIGHTON Dome
Tue November 17 2015 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Thu November 19 2015 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Fri November 20 2015 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Sat November 21 2015 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
Mon November 23 2015 - ABERDEEN Aberdeen Music Hall
Tue November 24 2015 - DUNDEE Fat Sam's Live
Wed November 25 2015 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Fri November 27 2015 - LONDON Alexandra Palace
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